The problem was that Prince, a control freak, didn’t leave a will. He didn’t even have a cause of death — initial reports suggested an overdose of fentanyl, and recently unsealed affidavits and search warrants revealed painkillers were scattered throughout his Paisley Park home and studio. Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg, who was treating Prince for hip pain, reportedly prescribed oxycodone intended for the artist to a close friend in the weeks prior to his death. After Prince died a year ago today, found in a Paisley Park elevator, his estate — including songs, videos, $25 million in real estate and 67 gold bars, among many other things — was said to be worth between $200 and $300 million.

Because Prince had no children, was divorced and his closest relatives were his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings, the estate was in shambles from the outset.

Attended by a who’s who of Canadians and visiting international delegates in town for CMW, April 18-23, including three days jammed full of industry-focused keynotes and panels and six nights of live music all over the city.

Online royalties paid out by the likes of Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify and YouTube jumped by 60% for a powerful set of independent publishers last year.

The figure refers to distributions made by IMPEL, which collectively licenses Anglo-American mechanical digital rights in Europe for publishers including Beggars Music, Imagem, SONGS Music Publishing and more.

The growth was completely driven by streaming (thanks to hits from songwriters like SONGS-signed The Weeknd, pictured), which comfortably offset declines from download platforms.

A coalition of 15 music organizations representing creators and companies has submitted comments to the U.S. Copyright Office about the safe harbors in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and why they’re not working for the music business. Among them are the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), and various collection societies and creators organizations.

Streaming services like Spotify and Pandora steadily have increased their visibility - and marketing spends - in recent years, but as Apple Music and now YouTube have joined the competition for subscribers, the battleground has moved to Madison Avenue. Billboard reports.

From the Music 3.0 blog: SoundCloud is seeking a buyer, and that could make it much more difficult for indie music artists across all genres to have their music heard. The streaming music service is reportedly seeking a sale in the $1 billion range in a deal that could alter that part of the music landscape for a long time.